Subwoofer rises to the occasion only occasionally

December 2, 2015 7:00 PM

My Altec-Lansing 885 computer speakers, bought from Dell in 2001, are not thumping, only gently pulsing, if even that.

I wonder why my speakers sometimes sound/feel quite strong, yet most other times appear weak. I can sit and feel kind of satisified with the bass from the satellites, but soon realize it's a bit tinny. Then I feel w/ my hands the signal from the rather large subwoofer on the floor only to find it's pretty lame. But I then recall it being relatively strong at other times...times when I thought all was well with my subby. Is there a warm-up time to optimal? Any advice?

posted by noelpratt2nd to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

I (ab)used the crap out of a set of altec speakers almost exactly like this. From my friends parents computer around 2000, to his room in high school, to my job during/after high school(covered in grease! next to a deep fryer!), to my apartment after that. I took them to my first office job and used them there.

My bet is that either the power supply or the pot for the subwoofer level knob is dying. 14 years is long enough, and they're probably not worth repairing unless you're quite technically inclined and enjoy tinkering. When mine died i just said meh and hooked a thrift store receiver and sub up to some random speakers. Like i'd tear down a cool receiver or something, but decade and a half old altec pc speakers? Nah.

A hail mary would be, do they take an external power brick for the sub? My altecs took a hilariously large one(like almost xbox 360 power brick sized). some cursory googling doesn't seem to show if those do or not. If they do, i'd try and track down a replacement power brick at thrift stores and maybe test that out before i gave up.

All that said, buy some of these and rock out. If you need more bass, you'll probably have to buy a PA, or larger studio monitors with a dedicated sub. A bar my friends work and hang out at uses those in the green room and they knock cups off the table when cranked. I had a set for a while that died, but they seem to have refined the design and the new ones are more reliable.

Those used to be the wirecutter and many other sites pick. They have a large following, and are IMO the best sub/sat "multimedia" system. They sound better than most cheap monitors, soundbars, and have a lot more low end than something like audioengines or these(which are my number one sub-less recommendation, where does the bass come from! they're tiny!) which deserve way more praise than they get, but cant reach nearly as low as the klipsch.

My friend got someone she was dating those klipsch for christmas, and his immediate reaction was something to the effect of "where the hell did you find these?!?!". Colon loosening bass, if and when you want it.
posted by emptythought at 10:38 PM on December 2, 2015

They reallly haven't been used much, and have pretty much been babied. Where is this "pot" knob?
posted by noelpratt2nd at 7:02 AM on December 3, 2015

"pot" == "potentiometer" - the variable resistor that controls the volume for the subwoofer (most subs have one). On a PC system subwoofer, it's probably small and hard to see. It's most likely on the subwoofer itself (although back in the day I had some Altec speakers that put the knob on a special control cable...)

One possibility is that corrosion has formed on the interior workings of the pot. You can tell whether this has happened by twisting the knob back and forth while playing some music through the system - if there's corrosion, then while you're turning the knob, the subwoofer will cut in and out, and there may be scratchy static sounds.

If you can remove the knob, you may be able to spray some electrical contact cleaner into the pot; then quickly work the knob back and forth.

Sometimes, if there's not much corrosion, just working the knob back and forth will clear up the problem.
posted by Rat Spatula at 8:04 AM on December 3, 2015

Saw the fuse, the diagnostic button, that's it. But-- I'd probably never used to diag, so it seemed the tones it gave out were OK when it came to bass. Maybe Yes' "Close to the Edge" is too old for big bass (Chris Squire notwithstanding), but I'd swear it's sounded bigger before.
posted by noelpratt2nd at 9:46 AM on December 3, 2015

I'm kinda no-techy on these things. I just notice there are times when it sounds fine and in balance, but also times when it's in balance but gives out a greater thump, or vibration, t the touch. Yeh, one of them big boxes. And just a cord to plug in, no brick.
posted by noelpratt2nd at 9:52 AM on December 3, 2015